


out of the loop

by tastybaby



Category: Free!
Genre: Even more oblivious Kou to be honest, F/M, Fluff to the max, Free! Kink Meme, Oblivious!Haruka, Unbeta'd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-29
Updated: 2014-08-29
Packaged: 2018-02-15 06:05:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2218569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tastybaby/pseuds/tastybaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>haruka saves kou from some gross boys and she gets some closure on the awful crush she's had on him for about a year (with a little twist, and some cupcakes).</p>
            </blockquote>





	out of the loop

**Author's Note:**

> VERY ROUGH quick lil' thing i did for [this prompt](http://iwatobiswimclub.dreamwidth.org/2701.html?thread=3032717#cmt3032717) on the kink meme because i've been on it all day. also, shockingly low amount of harukou on ao3 and that is just wrong tbh...

"Hey--Hey! Check out the tits on that redhead!"

"Woof  _woof_  my friend, let us go survey the merchandise, shall we?"

"I second that motion, man. Hey! Hot stuff! Wanna hang out with us?"

Kou had stiffened when they mentioned the color of her hair, but brushed it off. This was a shopping mall. There were probably at least four other redheaded girls in the area. But the voices gravitated toward her, and it sent an uncomfortable shock through her spine. She pretended not to hear them, set down the dress she was holding, and started to walk away, but there were three of them. A particularly sleazy young man took her wrist and rubbed his thumb over it.

"Didja hear that? We were admiring you, you know," he chimed in, bringing her limp hand to his lips. Another one of his friends sneered and stepped a bit too close to her. Her mouth was full of sawdust and glue. 

"Hell yeah we were, and we're pretty a-list at our school. You should be honored."

" _Honored,_ " the third one echoed. Kou's face paled and she started trembling. One or two boys, she could have handled on her own. But she was cornered and overwhelmed and all three of them towered over her, slowly inching forward to the point where she could smell their breath. It was putrid. 

"H--ey, why don't you guys just... go bother some..one else.." she said barely audibly, beginning to panic. The one holding her hand dropped it and inched forward, cupping his ear.

"Sorry, what wassat, princess? Speak up, please, can't hear you over the sound o' those sweater puppies bouncing in that top of yours," he jeered, and the other two broke into a chorus of chortling laughter. 

"I think my girlfriend asked you to go bother someone else," a fourth voice chimed in. Kou realized she'd screwed her eyes shut, so she opened them to see someone's back separating her from the sleazy bastard who called her 'princess.' She recognized the breathy monotone mumbled his name.

"Haru...ka?" His arm was protectively secured around her shoulder, he released one of his piercing glares onto the other boys. Not breaking eye contact with one of them, he spoke to her. 

"I was wondering where you were," he said plainly. It was so strange to her how the gentle, warm arm slung around her shoulders (and sending a burning flush to her cheeks) was connected to the biting vitriol that dripped from Haruka's mouth. "Let's go somewhere else, okay? These  _animals_  can go find some other way to entertain themselves." His grip tensed on her when one of them stepped forward to challenge him, but the shorter boy seemed to have used up his confidence and backed off.

Haruka whisked her away swiftly, turning back to stare daggers into the hearts of the offenders and press his lips into her hair. It made her heart race, but she was too shocked by what had just happened to truly savor it. It wasn't until after a few laps around the store that she paid for her clothes with him and left, and he immediately sat her down at a bench outside the door. His eyes sought hers and seemed to ask if she was okay.

"I'm fine," she said slowly enough that he didn't believe her, so he took her hand and stared at her meaningfully. "I really am fine, though! I mean, thank you so much, Haru, I would have been stuck there without you, I just got kind of overwhelmed.." He shook his head.

"They shouldn't have said that to you," he began, and averted his eyes. "They shouldn't have touched you," Kou could see that his free hand was balled into a fist. His demeanor shifted and it shocked her that she could hear his breaths darting out more sharply."They shouldn't have even  _looked_  at you." His brows twitched and she saw his jaw tense, so Kou very carefully laid a hand on his shoulder. She supposed that he had picked up her brother's protective nature--or perhaps! Perhaps he truly cared about her?! Perhaps seeing another boy harass her and touch her made him angry? He shook her hand off and her heart fell.

Okay, so probably not.

Things were quiet for a while, and Kou felt herself sinking into her chair. What she wanted more than anything was for Haruka to wrap his arm around her again, squeezing her shoulder lovingly and maybe even burying his nose in her hair. This happened a lot with him. They sat quietly next to each other, even in the presence of others, and she had to force herself not to lean on him or place little kisses on his shoulder. Kou craved attention and affection from him so much that it was beginning to impact her physically, but it was times like these where she was brutally reminded that he actually was a wonderful guy. He caught her mid-sigh when he started speaking again.

"I can't believe they had to wait for another guy to 'claim' you before they backed off," he spoke, not so much to her but to himself. "Do they not see you as a person?" his hand dropped hers, and he pressed his knuckles into the seat of the bench. Haruka was still looking away from her. "Do they not know how strong you are? How hard you work? How little time you have for things like dealing with their scum?!" 

She was listening to his words, but not really absorbing them. Haruka's face was red with anger, he was breathing heavily, and his knuckles were white from clenching his fists so hard. Kou had seen him get this worked up probably once in her life, out of all the years she'd known him. His impassioned response to the injustice done unto her would make her swoon later, but for now she was stunned and quite concerned.

"Haru," she whispered, cleared her throat and repeated herself more clearly, "Haruka." He turned to her with fiery eyes and furrowed brows. "I'm gonna buy you something to eat, okay? To thank you for doing that for me. Let's go," she stood and smiled warmly at him. He seemed to soften, and took her hand. Kou was taken off guard by this development, but willed herself to stay calm while she walked hand-in-hand to a bakery a few blocks away. No words were exchanged, but she expected as much.

His breathing had slowed to a healthy pace by the time she sat down with him, their respective confections practically gleaming in the sunlight. Kou stirred some milk into her coffee and eyed him. She went back through the conversation they'd had on the bench, searching for something to open discussion again with. 

_"Do they not know how strong you are? How hard you work? How little time you have for things like dealing with their scum?!"_

Had he really said that? He definitely did. She was too focused on him to have misheard something like that.. Her chest felt light and the sensation of being utterly and completely flattered washed over her. Kou cleared her throat again to get his attention.

"I uh, didn't know that you thought so highly of me, Haru," she said modestly "I'm flattered, thank you."

Haruka's eyes drifted up from the cupcake she'd bought him and he shrugged.

"You're supposed to think highly of the person you're dating," he replied plainly. _That_ took a minute to process. Kou stammered out a few false starts before finally settling down enough to string her words together so that they made sense.

"Um, Haru! I think you have the wrong idea, we're just friends!" ...Right? Apparently, this was news to Haruka.

"But aren't you supposed to date the person you like? I like you. I thought we were dating," he replied earnestly. He actually looked a little bit nervous and Kou grasped for words she did not have.

"I mean--Haru, I like you--"

"I know. Aren't we dating?" She was going to have to have a talk with Makoto. He was the only person that knew after basically figuring it out and nudging her with a smile one afternoon. Who would've thought he had such loose lips? She propped herself up on her elbows and smoothed her bangs out of her face. This was going to be tough.

"I like you, and I--I well I am certainly not complaining upon hearing you like me! But, uh,  _usually_ the two people who are dating talk about that before becoming. A couple." Haruka looked confused.

"I thought we did," he looked up just over her head. "Actually, I may have daydreamed that. Hm." Kou wanted to laugh at how sweet he looked, but if she was on the brink of actually dating the guy she'd been pining for for at least a year, she had to tread carefully. 

"I'm not opposed to the idea of us dating, or, continuing to date. But I would like to be involved in these conversations from now on, okay?" She smiled at him and he looked confused.

"So, we're dating."

"If you want to?"

"We're a couple, then?"

"Yes."

"Alright," he stood, as if he was going to leave, but instead he leaned over the table and kissed her. Kou was stunned that, after all of that inept relationship talk, the boy was a remarkably good kisser. She giggled and reciprocated until she noticed that he was leaning over into his cupcake, which was now smooshed against his shirt. 

"Haruka, you're a mess." He nodded in response. She didn't see him smile, but his face seemed to give off an air that let her know that he was happy.

**Author's Note:**

> HAHAAA OKAY I think that Haru isn't Completely Lost in the dating world, but Nagisa probably threw him off a WHOLE lot by sayin' stuff like "I mean you and Gou are PRACTICALLY dating" or referring to her as his girlfriend, but it all flew right over his head and he became convinced that that was actually...how it worked.


End file.
